Department for Transport

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Qualifications

Earl Attlee: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Category (1) C, and (2) C+E, HGV drivers held aDriver’s Certificate of Professional Competence during the week commencing 3 January; and what was the equivalent figure for each of the last five years.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The information requested is not currently available for the week commencing 3 January. On 27 November 2021, the most recent date for which data is available, the number of drivers with Category C and C+E driving entitlement who held a Certificate of Professional Competence is shown in the table below. The historic information requested is not held. Officials will write to The Noble Lord with the information from week commencing 3 January when it becomes available.CategoryVolume1. C194,2612. C and CE420,562Total C and CE614,823

Cycleways: Finance

Lord Grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 20 December 2021 (HL5014), whether they will now (1) answer the questions put, and (2) publish the level of funding they have provided for cycle lanes to each local authority in each of the last five years.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The next Cycling and Walking report to Parliament, due to be published in spring 2022, will contain details of all of the funding that the Government has provided for active travel schemes, including cycle lanes, to each local authority in each year. This is complex as the funding comes from several different funding streams, making a short summary difficult. Some of the information, such as a breakdown of how much capital funding was provided to each local authority for active travel schemes in 2020/21 under the Active Travel Fund, is already available on gov.uk. Copies of the previous report to Parliament and funding breakdowns by local authority covering the years up to 2018/19 are available in the House libraries as well as on gov.uk.

Department for Education

Pupil Exclusions: Alternative Education

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what instructions they have given to Regional Schools Commissioners to ensure that all schools within multi-academy trusts track the outcomes of their permanently excluded children by working with alternative education settings.

Baroness Barran: The government is clear that all schools should be working in partnership with alternative provision (AP), to provide early support to individuals in mainstream education. AP also supports, where appropriate, re-integration back into mainstream schools, or successful transition to post-16 education or training.The department is continuing to develop proposals to improve the availability of good AP as part of the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Review. These reforms will deliver significantly improved outcomes for children and young people in AP, so that permanently excluded children and children at risk of suspension or permanent exclusion receive a full-time education and support suited to their individual needs.The department knows that certain groups of children are more likely to be permanently excluded, although local context means there will be different patterns across the country. It is therefore vital that schools, local authorities and local partners work together to understand what lies behind local trends and, therefore, be able to effectively plan and target additional action according to local needs.At its best, the academy trust model can be a powerful vehicle for improving schools. It can also allow high performing schools to consolidate success and spread that excellence across their local area. While other types of school partnerships can be effective, the key difference with academy trusts is that there is shared accountability for standards across the trust. All schools within the trust support each other and the trust is accountable for them all. Academies, including free schools, as well as academy trusts, are held to account (where necessary) by their Regional Schools Commissioner. Academies are also held to high levels of accountability by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, through their Funding Agreement.

Schools: Air Conditioning

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) efficacy, and (2) urgency, of installing air filters in schools over the Christmas period while school pupils are on holiday.

Baroness Barran: During the autumn term, the department provided CO2 monitors to all state-funded education providers, including early years, schools and further education colleges, backed by £25 million in government funding. Feedback suggests that schools are finding the monitors helpful to manage ventilation and, in the majority of providrrs, existing ventilation measures are sufficient.Where an area of poor ventilation has been identified that cannot be resolved through simple measures such as opening doors and windows, schools are advised to explore what remedial works may be required to improve ventilation. Where it is not possible to maintain adequate ventilation, it may be appropriate to consider the use of an air cleaning unit while the underlying ventilation issue is addressed.When used properly, air cleaning units can help reduce airborne contaminants in a poorly ventilated space, including viruses like COVID-19. Air cleaning units are not a substitute for ventilation and should never be used as a reason to reduce ventilation. They are not necessary in spaces that are adequately ventilated.The department’s decision to make air cleaning units available for poorly ventilated spaces in education and care settings has been formed by advice from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) and external consultation with specialists. We will continue to develop our policy and guidance on ventilation in line with the latest scientific advice and in consultation with industry wide experts.Deliveries of air cleaning units will start from this week to special educational needs and disabilities and alternative provision providers. These were allocated in the first application round announced in November for special and alternative provision providers.The second round of applications is open until 9am on 17 January. All state funded schools (primary and secondary), further education colleges and nurseries can apply.  Special and alternative provision providers that were not successful or did not apply in the first round are also eligible to apply in this round. Once applications have closed, all applications will be assessed against strict criteria and allocated to providers based on need. Providers with successful applications will be contacted individually to arrange delivery, with deliveries expected from February 2022.For those providers that are not eligible for funded units, the online marketplace provides a route to purchasing air cleaning units directly from suppliers at a suitable specification and competitive price. The marketplace can be accessed here: https://s107t01-webapp-v2-01.azurewebsites.net/list/air-cleaning.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Nigeria: Overseas Aid

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 22 March 2021 (HL13954),what plans they have(1) to allocate Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the Middle Belt in Nigeria, and (2) to target any such ODA to those displaced by farmer-herder conflict.

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government which humanitarian organisations currently benefit from UK assistance in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We continue to encourage the Nigerian Government to take urgent action to protect those at risk of intercommunal violence across the Middle Belt and implement long-term solutions that address root causes of such violence. We are increasing our engagement with state governments in affected areas, including Plateau, Kaduna and Benue States. We are also working with the Federal Government to respond to the challenge of resource competition, one of the drivers of intercommunal violence in this region, and welcome the National Livestock Transformation Plan, implemented in eight Middle Belt states. The plan aims to promote cattle-rearing in one place, rather than the traditional nomadic practice, to limit competition over land and resources leading to violence. A number of other states have expressed interest in this plan and we are encouraging their adoption of it.The UK Government focuses its aid investment and expertise on the highest priority issues where the UK can make the most difference and achieve maximum impact, including in some Middle Belt states in Nigeria. For example, we have supported more than 15,000 displaced people in Kaduna State with cash grants for food, water, sanitation, and other non-food items. FCDO provides support to humanitarian organisations operating throughout Nigeria, including the World Food Programme (WFP), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organization (WHO), Action Against Hunger, and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). FCDO publishes information on current funding on the Development Tracker website.

Russia: Nuclear Weapons

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatdiscussions they have had with the government of Russia to lessen the risk of miscalculation leading to use of nuclear weapons.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK takes its responsibilities as a nuclear weapon state seriously and will continue to encourage other states to do likewise.We consider the avoidance of war between Nuclear-Weapon States and the reduction of strategic risks as our foremost responsibilities. The joint statement by the leaders of the five Nuclear-Weapon States - including Russia - issued on 3 January underscores our collective commitment to work together to reduce the risk of nuclear conflict and enhance mutual trust and security. This is the first time the leaders of the five Nuclear Weapon States have made such a high-level political declaration. It shows our resolve to work together, despite differences, to increase mutual trust and understanding and work together towards nuclear disarmament.The UK is committed to taking steps to reduce the likelihood of nuclear war, including resolving issues peacefully and diplomatically wherever possible. With our partners, we will continue to make use of a number of international mechanisms that allow us to engage with Russia to support risk reduction and military transparency, including the NATO-Russia Council (which will next meet on 12 January 2022) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Ministry of Defence

Australia: Nuclear Submarines

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there is a senior UK official attached to the US Submarine Advisory Committee; and what relationship the Advisory Committee has to US Defence's Nuclear-Powered Submarine Task Force currently working with UK to identify the best way for Australia to acquire a nuclear submarine fleet.

Baroness Goldie: We are unaware of a US Submarine Advisory Committee and therefore cannot offer further information in response.

National Flagship

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the new national flagship (1) will be crewed by Royal Naval personnel, and (2) will fly the White Ensign.

Baroness Goldie: The National Flagship will be crewed by the Royal Navy and is expected to fly the White Ensign.

Northern Ireland Office

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to set out a timetable to address legacy issues in relation to the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

Lord Caine: As outlined in the Command Paper of July 2021, the Government remains committed to addressing the legacy of Northern Ireland’s past by bringing forward legislation that focuses on information recovery and reconciliation. The Government was clear when we published the Command Paper that we would engage with a wide range of stakeholders on our proposals before introducing any legislation, and that is what we are doing. This is a complex and sensitive issue and it is important that we take the time to get this right. The Government continues to engage and reflect on what we have heard, and we are considering our next steps carefully.

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government which legacy-related matters were discussed at the meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference on 2 December 2021.

Lord Caine: As stated in the joint communiqué published following the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (BIIGC) on 2 December 2021, the UK and Irish Governments discussed a range of legacy-related matters, including a review of the multi-party legacy engagement process that was initiated following the BIIGC in June 2021, as well as issues of concern in respect to a number of individual legacy cases.